Summary
- British Airways is offering a new opportunity for cardholders to earn Tier Points through credit card spending, a first for the airline.
- To unlock status, cardholders must spend over £15,000 within the next six months, earning up to 200 Tier Points.
- This strategy is similar to what major US airlines have implemented, and if successful, may lead to new ways to earn Tier Points in the future.
Travel credit cards have quickly become an essential revenue source for airlines and loyalty programs, and British Airways is pushing customers to spend even more to unlock some enticing rewards. From November 21st to May 21st, 2024, you can earn up to 200 Tier Points toward Executive Club status, or 2/3rds of the way to Bronze (oneworld Ruby). This is the first time such an offer has shown up, allowing cardholders to earn miles and status simultaneously.
Big spenders only
However, BA won’t make it easy to pick up Tier Points (TPs), it’ll take some spending. First noted in Head for Points, the offer is available only for the UK Amex British Airways Premium Plus credit cards, with an annual fee of £250 ($313). You also can’t opt into the app as usual, you’ll have to head to the Amex website for the offer. Only spending after you opt-in counts, so be sure to do that ASAP.
You’ll earn 100 Tier Points for spending £15,000 ($18,800), a rate of 1 TP for every £150 ($188) spent. If you spend £5,000 more (total £20,000), you’ll get another 50 Tier Points, with another 50 TPs for another £5,000 ($6,263) in spending (total £25,000). If you max out the offer, you’ll pick up 200 Tier Points at a rate of £125 per 1 TP, not a bad deal. Remember, you’ll also earn miles for every purchase as usual.
Photo: British Airways
You have six months to spend between £15,000 to £25,000 ($18,800-$31,200) to unlock status with the airline. It’s not for the everyday consumer, but with Christmas around the corner, booking some premium flights and gifts could help move the needle in the right direction.
First-time offer
As noted earlier, this is the first time BA has offered a path to status using credit cards. As a refresher, you earn Bronze status at 300 TPs, Silver at 600 TPs, and Gold at 1,500 TPs. This is equivalent oneworld Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, meaning you unlock lounge access and priority boarding globally with Silver alone. With this offer, you could be a lot closer to just credit card spending.
This is the strategy that all major US airlines have now adopted, with United being the latest earlier this month to allow members to earn PQPs toward Premium status on all card spending. If this trial is successful, we could see a new way to earn TPs in the future, but this would likely also mean an increase in points needed for status, which has not changed since before COVID.
Photo: British Airways
As Head for Points notes, Tier Points and Avios are transferred six days before your statement date. Since every member has a different membership cut-off date, ensure that you transfer your TPs when you’re closest to unlocking status. If you earn 100 TPs but have a cut-off for December, you won’t earn Bronze without 200 more TPs and two BA flights in the bank already. In that case, wait until January to reach the £15,000 so it counts towards the next year, giving you 11 extra months to earn status.
What do you think about British Airways and Amex’s new Tier Points offer? Let us know in the comments!
Source: Head for Points